HomeBlogAssessing and managing juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee
Assessing and managing juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee
Juvenile osteochondritis dissecans can affect the knees of children and is especially problematic among youth athletes. This disorder involves a lesion that appears on the subchondral bone in the knee, and it affects between 15 and 29 children per 100,000.
Boys are much likelier to develop the condition than are girls. Without proper assessment and treatment, the condition may cause permanent knee damage and prevent the children from further participation in sports. Fortunately, the lesion can often be reversed with treatment.
Assessing juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee
Juvenile osteochondritis dissecans may be subjectively and objectively assessed. Patients often report feeling pain near their patella bones, but the pain may be nonspecific. In most cases, the pain will intensify with exercise. Patients may also experience knee stiffness or swelling, and in more advanced stages, they may also experience locking caused by loose bone fragments.
There are several objective assessments that doctors may use for the disorder, including:
Observation of the knee to check for effusion
Observation of the gait
Palpitation of the knee to check for tenderness
Checking for internal or external rotations
X-rays of the knee
Magnetic resonance imaging
Once the condition has been diagnosed, there are several ways in which a doctor may treat it so that the knee can heal properly.
Managing juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee
Nonsurgical methods are normally indicated in the treatment and management of osteochondritis dissecans in children. The normal treatment proto six weeks.
In the second management phase, which lasts from six to the third treatment phase, the knee must demonstrate clinical signs of healing as observed with radiographic imaging.
In the third management phase, the youth will gradually begin to make certain that the lesions are healing.
With the proper assessment and management of juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee, children may experience full healing. This can help them to reverse the lesions.
In this instance, an athlete was originally diagnosed with minor quadriceps muscle strain and was treated for four weeks, with unsatisfactory results. When he came to our clinic, the muscle was not healing, and the patients’ muscle tissue had already begun to atrophy.
Upon examination using MSUS, we discovered that he had a full muscle thickness tear that had been overlooked by his previous provider. To mitigate damage and promote healing, surgery should have been performed immediately after the injury occurred. Because of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, the patient now has permanent damage that cannot be corrected.
The most important advantage of Ultrasound over MRI imaging is its ability to zero in on the symptomatic region and obtain imaging, with active participation and feedback from the patient. Using dynamic MSUS, we can see what happens when patients contract their muscles, something that cannot be done with MRI. From a diagnostic perspective, this interaction is invaluable.
Dynamic ultrasonography examination demonstrating the full thickness tear and already occurring muscle atrophy due to misdiagnosis and not referring the patient to proper diagnostic workup
Demonstration of how very small muscle defect is made and revealed to be a complete tear with muscle contraction under diagnostic sonography (not possible with MRI)
Complete tear of rectus femoris with large hematoma (blood)
Separation of muscle ends due to tear elicited on dynamic sonography examination
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